Immigration

Victims of any of the following crimes could qualify for a U visa if the crime took place in the U.S.:

rape; torture; trafficking; incest; domestic violence; sexual assault; abusive sexual contact; prostitution; sexual exploitation; stalking; female genital mutilation; being held hostage; peonage; involuntary servitude; slave trade; kidnapping; abduction; unlawful criminal restraint; false imprisonment; blackmail; extortion; manslaughter; murder; felonious assault; witness tampering; obstruction of justice; perjury; fraud in foreign labor contracting; or attempt, conspiracy, or solicitation to commit any of the above-mentioned crimes.¹

However, just because you were the victim of one of these crimes does not mean that you will automatically qualify. You have to meet the other requirements, which are explained in What are the requirements that I must meet to get a U visa?

Note: It is very hard to get a U visa without help from an attorney with experience in U visas. WomensLaw.org strongly recommends that you consult with an immigration lawyer familiar with U visas before applying to see if you qualify for this or other routes to immigration status. Please see the national organizations listed on our National Organizations - Immigration page. For general legal services organizations, not immigration-specific, and referral services to private attorneys, go to our Finding a Lawyer page. Remember to ask the lawyer you hope to work with whether s/he has filed for U visas or has been trained on how to file for U visas, since this may be something immigration lawyers or other lawyers are not normally trained to do. For assistance, your attorney can contact ASISTA.

¹ INA § 101(a)(15)(U)(iii)